IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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46 What are the rules for IPC standards develop- ment? We hope to answer those questions with a short primer on how we get from PIN to Publish. How Are Standards Created? It all starts with a PIN, or Project Identification No- tification, submitted by any group of industry mem- bers seeking to develop a specific standard, be it a guideline or a specification. A PIN is created in re- sponse to a need for a standard that currently does not exist, or an important revision to an existing standard. IPC staff does not write IPC standards, but staff liaisons—the deeply knowledgeable IPC technical staff members working with commit- tees—assist committee members in every step of the process. Liaisons understand the industry and are uniquely capable of setting up a committee to create the standard and ensure that documents make it to publication. Once a PIN is submitted by IPC staff, it is sent to the Technical Activities Executive Committee (TAEC) Global group, which conducts an initial re- view of the PIN, and from there it is submitted to the general TAEC standards development oversight committee for final approval. TAEC members ad- here to principles of standardization, indicating that standards should: • Show a relationship to Design for Manuf- acturability (DFM) and Design for the Environment (DFE) • Minimize time to market • Contain simple (simplified) language • Just include spec information • Focus on end-product performance • Include a feedback system on use and problems for future improvement But standards should not: • Inhibit innovation • Increase time-to-market • Keep people out • Increase cycle time • Tell you how to make something • Contain anything that cannot be defended with data Once a PIN is approved, the document becomes a Working Draft, a process that can take up to three years, leading to detailed and painstaking work on the path to publishing. A sense of humor is essential, as is a willingness to work toward industry consensus. As Teresa Rowe, senior director, Assembly and Standards Technology, states, "I have certainly overheard comments such as, 'This is torture,' when we've spent an inordinate amount of time arguing over the use of 'should,' or 'shall,' and I've seen mem- bers new to committee meetings overwhelmed by the process, not sure how to handle the tedium that is the hard work of standards development and editing." Teresa came to IPC after many years in the indus- try, winning awards for IPC standards development, and brings a depth of experience that is beneficial for all involved. She focuses on the need for industry consensus, indicating that "sometimes members